1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to printers and more particularly to a ribbon fold out mechanism mounted in the lid of a thermal printer to facilitate loading of ribbon media and printhead maintenance.
2. Prior Art
A thermal printer is usually provided with a printhead which comprises a large number of exothermic resistors arranged on an electrically insulating base. By selectively applying electric current to the exothermic resistors, heat is generated and applied to a thermo-sensitive print medium so as to print characters, pictures or both. The basic construction of a conventional thermal transfer printer includes a platen, thermal printhead, ribbon supply and take up mechanism, stepping motor and a gear train for driving the platen. A continuous strip of print media (e.g., paper, cloth, etc.) usually from a clamped print media roll is positioned between the platen and the ribbon with the thermal printhead caused to press the ribbon against the print media thereby printing characters or pictures on the print media strip using heat generated from the thermal printhead.
One of the most important aspects for the user in setting up a thermal transfer printer for printing is ribbon and media loading. Ribbon loading in conventional thermal transfer printers is a complicated, generally undesirable task which frequently involves ten or more steps. The usual steps are unlatching the printer, opening the lid of the printer, loading the ribbon supply roll, loading the ribbon take up roll, opening up the ribbon mechanism, threading the ribbon, wrapping the ribbon around the ribbon mechanism, taping it to the ribbon take up roll, taking up the ribbon slack, closing the lid of the printer and finally, re-latching the printer. Of the above-described steps, ribbon threading is usually the most difficult step to accomplish and as such can be a source of frustration for the user. Media loading usually requires the user to thread the media under or through the ribbon mechanism. Furthermore, conventional thermal transfer printers do not provide easy access to the thermal printhead for maintenance which adds to the overall cost of meeting the printing needs of the average user.
Therefore, the need arises for an improved low cost thermal transfer printer which significantly reduces the number of steps involved in ribbon and media loading. Such a printer should preferably be capable of loading ribbon and media without having to thread through/around the ribbon mechanism. The need also arises for a thermal transfer printer which provides easier access to the thermal printhead for regular maintenance by the user.
The present invention meets the above needs and is directed to a printer comprising a base having a platen, a lid coupled to the base, the lid having an open position and a closed position, a ribbon mechanism coupled to the lid, means for driving the ribbon mechanism and the platen when the lid is in the closed position and means for automatically presenting the ribbon mechanism for loading of ribbon when the lid is in the open position.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from a review of the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention.